Electric gas-engine-starting and battery-charging system.



H. H. M. KAMMERHOFF.

ELECTRlC GAS ENGINE STARTING AND BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT 114, I914. 1,225,643. Patented May 8, 1917.

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- H H. M. KAMMERHOFF. ELEGTRIC GAS ENGINE STARTING AND BATTERY CHARGlNGSYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILD OCR i4. 1914- v 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES A mm? ATTORNEYS HEINRICH H. M. KAMMERHOFF. OF ORANGE, NEWJERSEY.

ELECTRIC GAS-ENGINE-STARTING 'AND BATTERY-CHARGIEG SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent Patented May S, 1917.

Application filed October 14, 1914. Serial No. 866,622.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HEINRICH H. M. KAMMERHOFF, a subject of the Emperorof Germany, and a resident of Orange, in the county of Essex and Stateof New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Electric Gas-Engine-Starting and Battery- Charging System, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a gas engine starting apparatus and has todeal more particularly with starters of that type in which a dynamoelectric machine is adapted to be used as a motor for starting theengine and as a dynamo after the engine is started, whereby can becharged the storage battery that initially supplies current to thedynamo electric machine to operate it as motor, and whereby current canbe utilized for the lamps of the automobile. Obviously the invention isnot necessarily limited to starting, charging and lighting systems forautom o biles, as it is applicable to stationary plants.

In automobile equipments of the character referred to the desideratum isa minimum of weight and cost concerning the dynamo electric machine andbattery, and owing to the fact that high current is required, these twoelements of the system are often subjected to excessive strains.

The general objects of the present invention are to improve the designof starting, charging and lighting systems which overcomes thedifliculties inherent in the present systems, by a novel arrangement ofinstrumentalities whereby the current is prevented from rising higherthan desirable for the type of dynamo electric machine and batteryemployed.

More specifically the objects of the inven tion are to provide a dynamoelectric machine which has its rotor connected with the gas engine to bestarted through a frictional coupling or clutch'which iselectro-magnetically controlled to vary the frictional engagementbetween the parts as the dynamo electric machine is used as a motor forstarting the engine and as it is used as a dynamo when driven by theengine after it has been a e there being n the circuit of the dynamoelectric machine, storage battery and lamps, an automatic switch wherebythe battery will be charged with current when the speed of the dynamoelectric inachine operating as a generator will reach a predeterminedpoint, and also whereby the portion of the circuit in which thecontrolling or starting switch is included will be cut out or opencircuited.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference is to behad to the following description-and claims taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein similar characters of reference indi catecorresponding parts in all the views, and in which- Figure l is adiagrammatic View of a gas engine starting system in which the dynamoelectric machine operates as a starting motor for the engine and as agenerator of current after the engine is started;

2 is a diagrammatic view of a modified form of the system employing asingle dynamo electric machine; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view of the system equipped with a dynamoelectric machine for starting'the gas engine and an additional dynamoelectric machine to supply the charging and lighting current.

Referring to the drawing, A designates a dynamo electric machine havingan armature 1, brushes 2 and 3, and an energizing coil 4, and thismachine is connected through a clutch or coupling device 13 with a gasengine C to be started. In the present instance the clutch device isshown as two frictional cone elements and 6 connected respectively withthe shafts 7 and 8, the former shaft being connected with the rotor ofthe machine A and being journaled in a bearing 9. The other shaft 8 is journaled in bearings 10 and 11, and between the latterand'clutch'element 6 is a spring 12 encircling the shaft 8 and pressing the element6 against the element 5. The shaft 8 is connected in any suitable mannerwith the shaft 18 of the gas engine 0, the connection shown in thepresent instance being a pulley and belt transmission 14. Anelectro-magnetic means is adapted to operate on the spring-pressedelement (3 of the clutch so as to control the triotional engagementbetween the clutch elements. Any suit-able means may be employed toelectrically control the element 6, but in the present instance theshaft 8 is adapted to have a limited longitudinal movement in itsbearings, and the end 8 of the shaft forms the core of a solenoid wind111g which is adapted to be connected in circuit with the electricmachine A during the starting of the engine.

The dynamo electric machine A isconnected with the mains 16 and 17,across which is connected a storage battery 18 which supplies current todrive the machine A as a motor when starting the engine, and which ischarged by the machine A when the latter is driven by the gas engine,and by means of these mains current may be supplied to the lamps 19 ofthe automobile The wire 17 is broken and provided with contacts 2 and 21which are adapted to be engaged by a bridging contact 22, so that thecharging and lighting circuit will be completed, such bridging beingconnected with the core 23 of a solenoid winding 24; that has itsterminals connected by wires 25 and 26 across the mains 16 and 17. Cooperating with the bridging contacts and normally engaged by the latterwhen the engine is idle or being started are contacts 27 and 28 whichare in turn connected by wires 29 and 30 with the main 17, and with thecontrolling or starting switch 31, one side of which is connected by awire 32 with the clutch-controlled solenoid or magnet 15. The contact 27is connected with the wire 17 at a point between the battery 18 andcontact 20 and between the contact 21 and machine A, the wire 17 isconnected by flows from thebattery 18 through the pathconsisting of themain 16, machine A, main 17, wire 33, electrical device 15, wire 32,starting switch. 31, wire 30, contacts 28, 22 and 27, wire 29, main 17and battery 18. The dynamo electric machine operating as a motortransmits power from the shaft 7 to the shaft 8 through the clutchdevice B, and in this manner the engine C is started. The object of theclutch-controlling electric device 15 is to enable the gas engine to bestarted smoothly and without shocks, and as this device 15 is in serieswith the dynamo electric machine it receives current variable with theload on the starting motor, and the design of the parts is such that thespring presses the clutch element 6 tightly enough against the clutchelement 5 to cause an effective transmission of power to the gasengine.- It the current passing through the dynamo electric machine Abecomes higher than desired, due to too great a load, the coil 15operates to pull the shaft 8 to the left, whereby the clutch elementsrelatively slip and the load on the machine A lessens, and as aconsequence the current flowing is diminished and the magnet device 15looses part of its pull, so that the clutch elements reengage and withsuch a grip that the machine A transmits power therethrough to theengine. In this manner the dynamo electric machine is effectivelyclutched to the gas engine, but a certain slip is allowed whereby theengine will bev started smoothly and without slmch.

After the engine has been started it acts as a prime mover tor thedynanio electric machine A, so that the latter will become a generatorof current, and when the speed attains a predetermined point thesolenoid 2 1 will become energized so that the switch Formed by thecontacts 20, 21 and 22 will be closed and current will be supplied tothe battery 18 to charge the same, and to the lamps 19. I

The system shown in Fig. 2 is somewhat like the one in Fig. 1, with theexception of the electrical device for controlling the clutch, and thesimilar parts in the two figures will be correspondingly numbered. Theclutch-controlling switch 15 is adapted to be connected across the mainswhen the starting switch 31 is closed, this switch having an auxiliarycontact 35 connected by a wire 36 with one terminal of the magneticdevice 15, the other terminal being connected'by a wire 37 with the main16. The magnetic pull exerted by this coil 15 tends to force the shaft 8to the right and thereby assist the spring 1.2 to frictionally engagethe parts of the coupling. The spring 12 is strong enough to maintain africtional engagement on the clutch elements that will enable the gasengine C after being started to drive the machine A as a generator whilethe latter supplies current to charge the battery 18 and feed the lamps19, but when the dynamo electric machine A acts as a motor to start thegas engine C, additional pressure must be applied to the clutch elcment(3. For ma ntaining engagement between the clutch elements 5 and (3pressure is supplied by the electrical device 15. V'Vhen the switch 31is closed for starting the engine the battery 18 not only supplies themotor A but energizes the coil 15, the magnetizing force of the latterdepending entirely upon the pressure of the battery 18. The pressure ofthis battery varies within certain limits, according to the currenttaken from it, so that the magnetizing force of the coil 15 will dependdirectly upon the pressure of the battery and indirectly upon thecurrent supplied from the battery to the machine A when the latter isrunning as a motor. It is evident therefore that the coil 15 will assistthe spring 12 in its action to maintain the frictional engagement of theclutch parts, the action of the coil 15 being stronger as the pressureof the battery 18 is higher, and the flow of current to the dynamo islower, but this coil 15 will lose its force progressively with theincrease of current consumption by the machine A, the result being thatthe engine will bestarted smoothly and without shock.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 the gas engine C is started by anelectric motor A that is connected with the former by the clutch B, asin the other forms of the invention, but the shaft 8 is provided with aspring 38 which operates between the bearing 10 and abutment 12 on theshaft 8 in a manner to tend to move the said shaft to the left. On theshaft is a solenoid winding 15 which has one terminal connected byaneeted with the main 16, which includes the starting switch 31*, sothat when the said switch is closed the winding 15 will be in shunt withthe motor A.

In this system, when the gas engine C is not running and it is desiredto start the same, the switch 51 is closed, and consequently the motor Abegins to revolve. At the same time this starting switch closes thecircuit of the magnetic device 15*, which b being thus energized pullsthe shaft 8 to the right, overcoming the force of the spring 38 andengaging the clutch element 6 with the clutch element 5, whereby thestarting m0- tor A will drive the gas engine shaft and start the engine.The starting switch 31" is opened as soon as the engine is started, andconsequently the starting motor A is cut out of circuit from the battery18 and the spring 38 comes into action to separate the clutch elements 5and 6.

To charge the-battery 18 a separate charging generator A is employedwhich is suitably driven by the gas engine C by any suitable mechanicalconnection, the nature of which need nothcre be shown. In shunt relationto this current generator is the winding 2% of the automatic switchwhich closes the battery charging circuit and opens the motor startingcircuit when the speed of the gas engine and the generator A driventhereby reaches a predetermined point.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the advantages of the construction and method of operationwill be readily understood by those skilled in the art to which theinvention appertains, and while I have described the principle ofoperation, together with theapparatus which I now consider to be thebest embodiment thereof, I desire to have it understood that theapparatus shown is merely illustrative and that such changes may be madewhen desired as are within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. The combination of an engine to be started, a shaft divided into twosections, means connecting one section of the shaft to the engine, adynamo electric machine connected with the other section of the shaft, aclutch for operatively connecting the shaft sections, spring meansoperating on the clutch, a battery connected with the dynamo electricmachine, a magnet connected with the battery and dynamo electric machineand. operatively related to the clutch for controlling the drivingrelation of the shaft sections, a starting switch in circuit with themagnet, a solenoid responsive to current generated by the dynamoelectric machine at er the engine has started and drives the saidmachine, and a switch controlled by the solenoid" for controlling thecircuit connections between the dynamo electric machine and battery andthe electromagnet.

2. The combination of an engine to be started, a dynamo electric machineadapted to operate as a motor for starting the engine and adapted to beoperated as a generator by the engine, clutch elements for conncctingthe said machine with the engine, yield ing means for influencing thedriving engagement of the clutch elements, electrical means cooperatingwith said yielding means to control the driving engagement of the clutchelements, a source of current for the motor, a startingswitch forconnecting the said electrical means and motor with the said source, aswitch for cutting out the starting switch and electrical means from thecircuit of the said source, and means responsive to the voltagegenerated by the said machine when driven by the engine for operatingthe last-mentioned switch.

3. The combination of an engine to be started, a dynamo electric machineadapted to act as a motor to start the engine and as a generator whendriven by the engine, connecting means between the engine and machineand including clutch elements, yielding means for forcing the clutchelements together, electrical means for assisting the said yieldingmeans, a source of current for the said machine, a starting switch forconnecting the said source with the motor and for connecting the saidelectrical means in circuit with the source, and a circuit controllerfor cutting the said electrical means and starting switch out of circuitwhen the said machine operates as a generator and for connccting thesaid machine with the said source name to this specification in thepresence of flier charging the same, said circuit controller twosubscribing witnesses. including a Winding responsive to the volt-HEINRICH H. M. KAMMERHOFF. age of the said machine when operating asWitnesses: 5 a generator. CHATTEN BRADWAY,

In testimeny whereof I have signed my PHILIP D. ROLLHAUS.

Gopieu of this patent may he obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

